Supermarine Spitfire
"Many pilots believed the Mk IX was the ultimate Spitfire. Originally conceived in 1942 as a stopgap model to meet the threat of the German Focke-Wulf, Fw 190 fighter, the Mk IX combined a Mk V fuselage with more powerful versions of the Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12. Eventually produced in low, medium, and high-altitude fighter versions (called, respectively, L.F., F., and H.F.), a total of 5,665 planes were built, mostly the low-altitude version. By 1944, RAF had assigned the interceptor role to later model Griffon-engined Spitfires, and the IX was modified to specialize in the ground-attack role. '' ''Fitted with the new “E” wing, which carried upgraded armament ''consisting of two outboard 20-mm cannon and an inboard pair of 0.50-inch machine guns, the new L.F. IXe fighter-bomber also had its wingspan shortened by about four feet by squaring its elliptical wingtips. The result was an excellent tactical weapon to support the Allied advance across Europe." '' -The in-game descriptions of the Spitfire IX "C" and "E" variants The Spitfire Mk IX was the top fighting plane of Britian, and the best of the Spitfire variants. Well adored by RAF pilots for it's maneuverability and performance in low altitude dogfights, but also had exceptional performance as a fighter-bomber. The biggest improvement from the previous versions was replacing the eight .303 machine guns (four in Mk VB models) with 0.5 inch Browning machine guns along with two 20mm cannons for a even greater punch. Specifications L.F. IXC SPECIFICATIONS WEIGHT: 5,610/7,500 lb. (2,545/3,409 kg) SPAN: 36' 10" (11.2 m) LENGTH: 29' 11" (9.1 m) ENGINE: One Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 liquid-cooled V-12 with 1,720 hp ARMAMENT: Two 20-mm Hispano cannon with 120 r.p.g., plus four 0.303-in. Browning machine guns, plus one 500-lb. bomb and two 250-lb. bombs MAX SPEED @ ALTITUDE: 404 mph (650 km/h) @ 21,000 ft (6,400 m) CEILING: 42,500 ft (12,954 m) INITIAL CLIMB RATE: 3,125 ft/min (952 m/min) RANGE: 434 mi (698 km); 980 mi (1,576 km) with drop tanks L.F. IXE SPECIFICATIONS WEIGHT: 5,800/7,500 lb. (2,636/3,409 kg) SPAN: 32' 7" (9.9 m) LENGTH: 31' 4" (9.5 m) ENGINE: One Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 liquid-cooled V-12 with 1,720 hp ARMAMENT: Two 20-mm Hispano cannon with 120 r.p.g., plus two 0.50-in. Browning machine guns with 250 r.p.g., plus one 500-lb. and two 250-lb. bombs or eight 60-lb. rockets MAX SPEED @ ALTITUDE: 404 mph (650 km/h) @ 21,000 ft (6,400 m) CEILING: 42,500 ft (12,954 m) INITIAL CLIMB RATE: 3,125 ft/min (952 m/min) RANGE: 434 mi (698 km); 980 mi (1,576 km) with drop tanks STRENGTHS (ALL VARIANTS) - Excellent low-altitude performance. - Mixed .50s and 20-mm guns give heavy punch. - Can deliver a devastating mix of bombs and rockets. WEAKNESSES (ALL VARIANTS) - Inferior handling at high altitudes, especially for clipped-wing IXe. - Liquid cooling increases engine vulnerability to damage from flak and small arms fire. Armament (Spitfire IXc) Two 20mm Hispano cannons with 120 r.p.g and four 0.303 in Browning machine guns 2x 250 lb bombs 1x 500 lb bomb 1x 1000lb bomb 1x 500lb bomb + 250lb bombs 8x Rockets 8x Rockets + 250lb bomb 8x Rockets + 45 gal drop tank 1x 500lb bomb + 2x 45 gal drop tank 1x 250lb bomb + 2x 45 drop tank Armament (Spitfire IXe) 2x Hispano cannons with 120 r.p.g, plus two 0.50-in. Browning machine guns with 250 r.p.g. 2x 250 lb bombs 1x 500 lb bomb 1x 1000lb bomb 1x 500lb bomb + 250lb bombs 8x Rockets 8x Rockets + 250lb bomb 8x Rockets + 45 gal drop tank 1x 500lb bomb + 2x 45 gal drop tank 1x 250lb bomb + 2x 45 drop tank